The Silver Redemption
by Zen -Xegara
Summary: First there was the Meteor Crisis(aka the Great Darkness), then there was the Havoc Crisis. Now, seven centuries later a spirit lingers on the Planet and its intention is unknown. Is it good, or evil?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: All characters and locations that appear in any Final Fantasy game belong to Square-Enix.  
  
The Silver Redemption  
  
Prologue: The Calm Before the Storm.  
  
The first crisis of the Planet was known as the Meteor Crisis. This is where Sephiroth and Meteor first appear. Sephiroth is obsessed with power, and his greed gets the better of him. He steals the Black Materia and summons the Ultimate Magic, Meteor. In the week after the summoning of Meteor, Sephiroth is defeated and Meteor is destroyed. Thus ending the first crisis, the Meteor Crisis, referred to now as the Great Darkness.  
The second crisis was known as the Havoc Crisis. Havoc's intentions were ten times worse than Sephiroth's. It took place seventeen years after the Great Darkness and Sephiroth was reborn in the first year of the Peace Years. Lucrecia had prayed to Holy to bring her beloved Sephiroth back, and Holy accepted the offer. Sephiroth was reborn with no idea of his past life, which is until Havoc steps in.  
His reign lasts five years, and near his end he tries one final time to purge the Planet of all pure life, heroes. Sephiroth defeats him, and his dark sword SoulPain. They are thrown into the gorge of fire, the Abyss. Masamune falls in and Sephiroth jumps in to save the legend. The sword is saved and Sephiroth gives the ultimate sacrifice.  
It has been seven centuries since that last incident. The Golden Era is thriving and the cast of FF7 now travels the Seven Divine Paths in the Zero World. They will all meet for one final reunion, in the core of the Zero World. But while celebrations are in order at Cosmo Canyon, and the Zero World, a dark spirit lingers on the Planet. Its intentions unknown, will it help the Planet, or is it here to threaten it? 


	2. Chapter One: The Gathering

Disclaimer: All characters and locations that appear in any of the Final Fantasy games belong to Square-Enix.  
  
The Silver Redemption  
  
Chapter One: The Gathering  
  
Miles beneath the surface of the Planet, an emerald liquid flows. Hazy smoke figures travel this stream of souls, known to the surface dwellers as the Lifestream. Normally, either a soul in the Lifestream becomes reincarnated, to create new life on the planet, or is transported to the World of Souls, the Zero World. Amongst its mustard colored clouds, and its never ending plains, dwells the one being that created it all.  
Surrounded by his grand coliseum, on a mighty throne encrusted with otherworld jewels, sits the ruler of the Zero World, Necron. A being of unbeatable strength, of undated age, and has been since the beginning of time. Eons ago, in the deepest reaches of the universe, a single wave of energy ripped a hole. As the hole expanded it became a dark void, on the other end of this void came forth from the poisonous clouds, Necron.  
One of the only beings able to breathe in the airless space, Necron was the first true eternal creature. Never aging, never looking back, that was his true purpose, but somewhere down the line he went astray. He began to quench his thirst for power by creating the Zero World. He needed souls, so he created the many dimensions, and all of their inhabitants. As their time wore out he would kill them off and feed upon their soul's sorrow.  
A once magnificent being to look upon, now, from millennia of sorrow taking, he's become just as blue as the sorrow itself. Ashamed of his greed and lust for strength, he crafted a mask in which he wears to this day. The mask has seen far too many years, for it is shredded and torn. Yet, his face has been lost to history; no mortal has ever looked upon his mighty face.  
He once resembled a modern day Greek gladiator, but now, sadly the same can not be said. Protruding forth from his back, span two great wings, those who have not known him might say that the wings are nothing more than two mighty Cypress trees. His arms may have just molded together across his chest, for he never moves them.  
Three rune rings circle his body, the two below his knees spin horizontal, while the other spins vertically on his torso. The ring passes through his torso as if he was dead, nothing more than a soul, but he is not. Perhaps a side effect of consuming the souls of the dead. The static that emits from his being, is powerful enough to kill any mortal it touches. At a fraction of his strength he can create the biggest vortex ever seen in this world or the next.  
He and he alone created the seven Divine Paths. But he created ten paths, why? Three are hidden to the eye, the eighth path is known as the Cetra Path, all Cetras travel that path. The ninth is the Spirit Path, the only connection to the living world. Finally, the most dangerous of all paths, the tenth path. The path of the Underworld, the Road of Hell, the River Styx, all means the path sealed by the good willed, and traveled by the damned.  
In the core he waits now, for a group of allies, the saviors of their planet. Plagues have troubled this particular planet many times, and many times more the same allies teamed up and defeated the threat of the Planet. First was the Cetra, Sephiroth, unaware of his Cetra heritage until the creature Jenova opened his eyes. He traveled to the Temple of Ancients, he sought the Black Materia. His puppet, Cloud Strife, gave him the Black Materia and he summoned the ultimate magic, Meteor.  
Meteor, a giant asteroid summoned to destroy the planets it collides with, each time not dying but gaining more strength. This was known as the Meteor Crisis, now referred to as the Great Darkness. The second was a demon; he plagued the Planet of its life, and even defeated the Reborn Legend. He was an old man, part demon, his name was Havoc. His reign of evil lasted five years. Sephiroth's on the other hand, lasted a mere year, if even that.  
It has been seven centuries since the defeat of Havoc, and the end to the Havoc Crisis. Now, in the core of the Zero World, a reunion will be taking place. A unity of allies, and a Ceremony of Remembrance.  
  
A flash of blonde hair flew past the threshold of the First Divine Path as the bearer ran into the center of the Zero World, the core. The blonde haired warrior, his hair did not flow with the tide, but instead was spiked like the jagged rocks at the bottom of the fall. Dressed in navy blue pants, and a blue-violet muscle shirt, surrounded by a crimson cape, he appeared. Upon his shoulders sat the armor of his once respected idol, Sephiroth. Hidden beneath the mass of hair, deep blue eyes with a hint of emerald shone.  
The gentle curve of his jaw held a frown, he was the first to arrive, and he would have to wait for the others. Making a good sense of time he laid down upon the clouds, no longer half-expecting to fall through into a bottomless void. Soon darkness took him; he passed into a peaceful nap. The blonde warrior slept undisturbed, unaware he was being watched.  
  
The musty clouds of the Zero World, to most surprise, are not like clouds at all. They are actually given a more stone like texture, thus there is no fear of plummeting into a bottomless hole through the clouds. During the middle of the blonde warrior's slumber, a second warrior was heard walking toward the threshold of the Second Divine Path. The clank of his army boots on the clouds awoke the sleeping warrior, just in time to see a second blonde warrior step forth from the threshold.  
As the second man walked into the light of the core, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his Air Force jacket. Carefully picking one cigarette from the pack as if each one was a piece of gold, and as fragile as glass, he lit it. He then put the pack behind his ears in the pocket of his pilot goggles, which were positioned on top of his head. He took one long puff from the cigarette, and as he exhaled the smoke he sighed. "I see you're the first one here Cloud." said the mysterious warrior.  
  
"Just waiting for your sorry butt." replied Cloud.  
"Damn, stop being such a wussy Cloud, when will you start saying ass?" questioned the man.  
"Come on, leave Cloud alone Cid."  
"Hey Cloud, looks like your bodyguard was here to defend you again." joked Cid.  
  
Entering from the Third Divine Path was a young brown haired woman in her mid 20's. She hadn't changed much since the Havoc Crisis, especially since no one ages in the Zero World. She still had the beautiful shine in her brown-red eyes, still had the same outfit. The outfit she wore was a crimson red tank top, and long black hakama pants and she still wore the fighting gloves. Upon passing through the threshold her long brown hair swayed as she walked, enchanting Cloud like always.  
  
"Must you always stare at Tifa like that?" asked Cid.  
"Wow, isn't she...I uh mean...what was the question again?" replied Cloud.  
"Ugh, you're hopeless." Cid muttered under his breath.  
"What?" Cloud questioned.  
"Nothing." Cid answered.  
"What are you two talking about?" asked Tifa.  
  
As the group of reunited allies discussed certain topics, and kept secret conversations from one another, a great nightmare was disturbing someone's slumber on the Fourth Divine Path. Halfway along the fourth path slept the ever-mysterious Vincent. His mind was plagued of the days when he was a Turk working for Shin-Ra Inc., and when he lost the love of his life. When he awoke he realized he was shivering, but at the same time he was sweating.  
Vincent stood up in full posture against a tree, and took some time to pull his thoughts together, determining reality from nightmare. He never changed his outfit since he first met Cloud during the Great Darkness. He still wore the classic black shirt and pants. Buckled, and draped over his shoulders were the same crimson cloak, and the same crimson bandana wrapped his forehead. His hair was long and black as always, and his eyes were piercing red as ever. The same shadow around his eyes kept the sullen look on his face.  
Vincent felt his left side go cold, then numb. He lifted his left arm up to the light from beneath the cloak. The bronze arm and its claws moved just fine, but Vincent could still feel its uncomfortable grip upon his arm's ligaments and nerves. He glanced at the tips of the claws, the little sunshine that ever shone in the Zero World reflected Vincent's cold expression back at him.  
He began his last walk to the reunion, after a few steps he felt a warm spot growing inside him, directly in his chest. It spread through his body like wildfire, soon enough he was once again looking at his reflection in his bronze arm. He was no longer the dark, sullen Vincent everyone knew, he was Guardian. His beloved Guardian form came back to him in his time of need. His vision cleared and he saw not another demon blocking his path.  
No longer was there a shadow beneath his red eyes, but now there was light beneath his piercing ice blue eyes. His clothes and his cloak were once more white, he had both wings again, and his hair even changed to its proper form. It became white as snow and flowed as if there was a constant gull of wind. The little light from the Zero World caused Vincent's hair to shine just like a spider's webbings in the sunlight. Vincent extended his wings to their maximum span and flew off toward the meeting place; this new development would make the trip much shorter.  
  
A little way down the Fifth Divine Path, the next warrior had a problem on his hands. It seemed a fiend managed to get pass Necron's ever seeing eyes. It wasn't a big problem; it was only a harmless lupine pup. Still, the warrior took no precautions. His giant combat boots echoed off the stone clouds as he braced for battle. His carefully loaded his Missing Score.  
The magazine clip was large enough for at least a hundred rounds. As he slipped the magazine into the chamber of the gun, he made sure the parts locked properly. As the gun's parts clicked together and he checked the chamber, he aimed at the lupine pup with a smile. With one pull of the trigger, the fiend would be sent directly where it was meant to, the Underworld.  
The warrior pulled the trigger as he felt the indescribable feeling of being extremely "Trigger Happy". Hail of bullets flew toward the lupine pup, its dark brown fur pelted with blood stains. The pup fell to the clouds with many holes in its side. The warrior walked over to the dead fiend and stared into its cold dead eyes, black.  
  
"What was that?" asked Cid hearing the bullet shots.  
"Barret," replied Cloud, "who else could it be?"  
"He might need our help, we should go to him!" exclaimed Tifa.  
  
As the allies ran toward the Fifth Path, out from the Fourth Path a whirl of white surprised them. Vincent flew high into the sky less Zero World, and once he reached an appropriate height, he closed his wings around him. A white sphere surrounded him, as the sphere shrunk it took Guardian with it. Vincent fell from the sky straight downward, the blood red cloak flying upward from the fall.  
He landed in a crouched position with such force even the unmovable clouds seem to have compressed. Normally no ordinary person would be able to survive a fall like that unscathed, but Vincent rose as if it were nothing. As he walked to the others, his plate tipped boots clicked on the clouds.  
  
"Cloud, I really don't mind going anywhere, it's just the fact that you're leading the way." Vincent stated.  
"We think Barret might need our help!" cried Tifa, "we heard gun shots."  
"Of course you heard gun shots, I was killing this stray fiend." echoed Barret's voice from the Fifth Divine Path.  
  
A tall six foot or so man walked out from the Fifth Path. He wore size eleven combat boots, and green cammo pants. His vest was torn and ripped in several places, and under the open vest he wore a white muscle shirt. On one of his muscular biceps was a black skull tattoo; on the other arm was the Missing Score. This man had met an unfortunate fate since he had to have his arm amputated from the elbow down, and replaced with a gun-arm.  
His face was the most chiseled feature, his hair was cut army style and his beard was unevenly shaven. In his left ear he wore two earrings and had two long scars across his left cheek. His eyes were brown, but held such an aura as if his nightmares were constantly replaying inside his mind. His dog tags were engraved with the name, Barret Wallace, former leader of AVALANCHE. Hanging upon his shoulders was the body of the lupine pup.  
  
"Met this little fiend blocking my path here." Barret stated.  
"Ah, Barret's here too?" pondered Vincent, "that only leaves Yuffie."  
"I wonder what's taking her." asked Barret surprised by the fact Yuffie was not the first one there.  
  
Just as Barret spoke a figure fell out of the sky and landed on top of Vincent. It was Yuffie. Realizing what had happened, or so it seemed, she helped Vincent back up. Patting him a few times as if she was making sure he was ok. Then, without notice she began to run toward the Sixth Divine Path.  
  
"Where's she going in such a hurry?" asked Vincent, "Hey! She stole my only materia!"  
"See you later Vince! Haha, what a nice steal." exclaimed Yuffie as she ran.  
"That little pickpocket seems she hasn't changed one bit." thought Vincent.  
"Where did you get that materia, I thought I got rid of all materia in my domain!" exclaimed Necron.  
"..."  
  
As Yuffie saw the entry to the Sixth Path, she looked back to make sure no one was following her. No one was, there was no point in it, and she had gotten away. Not even Vincent chased after her. She turned back to continue her getaway when she ran into someone. She fell to the ground and dropped the materia.  
  
"Ow, that hurt!" yelled Yuffie.  
"I don't care why you stole it, so much as the reason you picked me." spoke Vincent.  
"Uh, ehhh, sorry Vincent." apologized Yuffie, reaching for the materia.  
"Your welcome, and by the way, I'll be taking this back." answered Vincent as he picked up his materia.  
  
Now that everyone was where he wanted them all, Necron decided to make his move. A quick shadow passed over where they all stood. As they looked up, they noticed a massive coliseum stood in place of the boundless sky of the Zero World. Necron then began his descend to the group of heroes, and as he descended he spoke in an overpowering voice.  
  
"Welcome back to the center of the Zero World. Now, it is time to begin the Ceremony!"  
  
[Special Thanks To] Seikyn, for his excellent opinion on details. Without him, this chapter wouldn't be very detailed. 


	3. Chapter Two: Ceremony of Remebrance

Disclaimer: All characters, and locations that appear in any of the Final Fantasy games, belong to Square-Enix.  
  
Chapter Two: Ceremony of Remembrance  
  
With one gentle wave of Necron's hand, a vast podium and a single royal table appeared. Each piece of furniture was plated gold, and was encrusted with otherworld jewels that shimmered in the faint light of the Zero World. In front of each golden chair, on the table, sat a candle. With one flick of Necron's hand, each candle was sent ablaze. A bluish flame danced upon the melting wax.  
As each was seated, Barret was the only one who stood. He still held the fiend abroad his shoulders. Once more Necron moved his hand, only slightly, and the fiend's weight was lifted from Barret's shoulders. The fiend's cold black eyes stared back at Necron. Almost immediately the fiend burst into a semi-transparent blue flame. In seconds the fiend was devoured and exploded into particles of energy that Necron absorbed.  
  
"Now I believe, the sword should be summoned forth." Necron suggested.  
  
Cloud hesitated before he spoke.  
  
"Um, Necron?" asked Cloud.  
"What is it?" replied Necron, sounding agitated.  
"No offense or anything, but the sword you speak of, is it Masamune?" questioned Cloud.  
"Why, yes it is, may I ask why?"  
"Masamune is nothing more than an ordinary piece of stone now. It was petrified when Sephiroth died. Right after Havoc and him fell into the Abyss." Cloud stated.  
"Nonsense! Even if that were true, would the sword be here today?"  
"What are you talking about, you're crazy!" Cloud shouted.  
"Am I?" replied Necron.  
  
Necron shifted his gaze from Cloud to his side. Immediately the clouds began to shift and rumble. Eventually the clouds dissipated and moved aside to allow the entry of some foreign object. Rising from the hole in the clouds was the sword, Masamune. It was perfectly preserved and was still stone.  
  
"How did you do that?" Cloud interrogated, "That sword was set in unmovable ground. The sword was buried to its hilt and when it became stone so did the ground around it. How are you able to move the sword that no one else could?"  
  
Necron began to laugh uncontrollably.  
  
"Ha! You still don't get it do you? I created Sephiroth, I created Masamune. It received its strength from me. It only became stone because Sephiroth moved onto the Zero World without it. But behold! The legendary sword that was once stone is now reverting to its natural state."  
  
What Necron said was true; the sword was starting to replenish itself. First was the handle, then the hilt, both were now what they once were. Ivory and bronze, then slowly the blade began to crack and then it shattered. The dust from the stone fell into the clouds making them look gray, and the blade shone in the light of the Zero World.  
What Necron did next was even more surprising. He threw the sword directly between the Sixth, and Seventh Divine Paths. To everyone's shock, the blade pierced what seemed to be nothing but air. Slowly a rip formed and a little light shone forth from the slit. Then the rip began to rip northward and southward, until a brand new threshold formed.  
The light from the newly opened Divine Path engulfed the sword and it disappeared. Then the threshold collapsed and the sword and the path were gone.  
  
"What the hell was that? Tell me!" demanded Cid.  
Necron answered, "That was the Spirit Path, and it leads to the Living world."  
"Why would you send Masamune to the Living world?" asked Cloud.  
"That's not important, I have other matters to discuss with you guys." replied Necron.  
"Trying to put it behind you huh? But you're moving forward, you will only create more past to cover up. I think he's hiding something." Vincent accused.  
  
Hastily, Necron threw his arms outward to each side and four vortexes formed and two vortexes formed in front of him. Rising up from the clouds, through the vortexes created by Necron, were the allies' weapons. They had parted with the weapons when they each died. To Necron's left rose two weapons, the Venus Gospel and the Diamond Shatter.  
Cid and Barret slowly walked to their own weapon making sure it wasn't a mirage or something. Cid picked up the magnificently crafted Venus Gospel, its red mahogany staff gleamed with its red oak stain. The blade was polished and its battle scars were no longer visible. The sharp spear on the other end was encrusted with only one jewel, the Venus Flame. A beautiful red gem, which in the proper lighting flared with the intensity of fire.  
Barret, on the other hand, detached his Missing Score from his arm and allowed it to fall helplessly to the cloudy floor. Hesitantly, he re- attached the Diamond Shatter. Finally to check if it worked properly he requested that Necron revived the same Lupine pup he had killed. Necron fulfilled this request and Barret armed his Diamond Shatter.  
Barret found himself starring into the same black eyes as before. He glanced at the Diamond Shatter one final time. It was encrusted with the same diamonds as always, the Gatling tip on the end gleamed with a new gloss. Barret clipped the magazine into the chamber, and fired the diamond bullets. A maelstrom of diamonds flew at the Lupine pup, and before it could even move it was struck by the diamonds.  
Protruding from each bullet wound was a bluish smoke, then the Lupine burst into the same blue flame as before. Necron happily absorbed even more energy once the fiend was completely converted to energy.  
  
"Satisfied?"  
"Thank you Necron." replied Barret and Cid together.  
  
Rising forth from the next two vortexes were the Tekketsu and the StealthEdge. Yuffie, of course, came running as fast as she could in order to take back her beloved StealthEdge. The StealthEdge was a shadowy grey and was roughly cut around the blade. Sliding her hand into the center of the weapon her StealthBracer aligned perfectly with the weapon. Making both her arm, and the StealthEdge weapons.  
Tifa quickly removed her Dragon Gloves and slid the Tekketsu into place. Each Tekketsu were forged of gold and metal. Both of the gloves had the talons of a dragon mounted on them. Making the Tekketsu an excellent defense against other weapons and an impressive offense. The talons were sharpened to the point, sharper than Diamond Weapon's, making them lethal.  
  
"Satisfied?"  
"Yes!" replied Yuffie.  
"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Tifa.  
"What?"  
"Not until you tell me the reason you're giving us our weapons."  
"Fine!" yelled Necron, "a new evil is forming on the Planet. The sword SoulPain has been taken from my possession and was sent to the Living world. I don't know who is responsible but I can send one of you six people to the Living world. I gave your weapons back in case one of you decides to go back to the living."  
"Thank you." replied Tifa, sounding as innocent as can be.  
  
As Yuffie and Tifa walked away seemingly happy, the final two weapons emerged from deep within the black vortexes. First rose the ever lustrous Death Penalty, always looking for more kills to power its strength. Next was the Ultima Weapon, first emerging was the handle. Wrapped in blood red leather, and decorated with several tassels. Then the double edged blade shot forth from the vortex.  
Watching as his sword fell from the sky, Cloud ran toward the sword and jumped into the air and caught it. Once he landed he performed the 'Omnislash' technique, it thrilled him at the immense power radiating from the sword's core. It was no mirage; this was the same sword that defeated Sephiroth, and the same sword that he battled with until his own demise.  
Vincent, on the other hand, never took a step toward the Death Penalty. It could be seen that he was struggling with inner demons, and his past. He wasn't sure whether to take up the weapon once more or to move on and forget about his past. Slowly, Vincent began to walk toward Death Penalty.  
  
"Just pick up the weapon Vince!" yelled Yuffie.  
  
Vincent picked up the weapon and aimed it at Yuffie's heart.  
  
"Vincent! What are you doing?" cried Yuffie.  
"This should improve the odds of sending me back, besides she's been getting on my nerves lately." thought Vincent, as he pulled the trigger of Death Penalty.  
  
A puff of black smoke resonated from within Death Penalty's ancient barrel, as it shot forth the single bullet aimed at Yuffie's heart. Vincent was the only one that seemed to watch, in slow motion, the bullet slice through the thick soul filled air of the Zero world. Everyone jumped at the sound of the gunshot, but Yuffie was the only one who began to get goose bumps. Slowly, she looked down at her heart. There was a single gun wound, and no blood spewed forth.  
Yuffie glanced up at her attacker, Vincent, and then her vision began to blur and darken. StealthEdge de-located itself from the StealthBracer as Yuffie let go of the weapon. It was the first to fall onto the clouds, with a clink. Next she fell to her knees starring blankly at Vincent, and then a blue stream began to escape from her wound.  
Vincent on the other hand, was going through his own torment at the same time. Though he did not look it he was seeing not the scene of Yuffie's death, but the scenes of all his death deals, and those he killed with the weapon. The souls of the dead he killed seemed to surround him all at once, knowing that it was only a mirage; it still felt so real to Vincent. They began to gasp, and their rasp voices echoed inside his mind.  
  
"Death Dealer, our destroyer, our revenge and anger are not in vain. You will soon get what is truly yours to receive. Next time you may not be so lucky to receive your body back." whispered the souls of the dead.  
  
Vincent blinked and the souls were gone, but he had a mind splitting headache. Yuffie on the other hand, had a more serious condition, she was dead. Finally, her body fell completely to the clouds and a semi- transparent blue flame engulfed her body. Necron simply jumped at the opportunity to gain more energy and converted Yuffie's body to energy, which he absorbed.  
  
"Unless anyone else wants to die again today, I suggest you discuss who is going back to the Living world." suggested Vincent. 


	4. Chapter Three: The Zero World Tournament

Disclaimer: All characters and locations that appear in any of the Final Fantasy games belong to Square-Enix. (Note: This is only a filler chapter, beg my pardon if it's not really exciting.)  
  
Chapter Three: The Zero World Tournament  
  
Vincent began to walk toward Necron when Cloud blocked his path.  
  
"Move Cloud, don't be foolish."  
"Foolish huh, isn't that an emotion? An emotion Yuffie will never express again."  
".You said something like this before, haven't you? In the Forgotten City, right after Sephiroth killed Aeris."  
"How did you know?"  
"Stand aside, now!"  
  
Vincent immediately pulled Death Penalty on Cloud.  
  
"I won't say this again, stand aside!"  
"Alright, I will just don't kill anyone else."  
"A smart choice, I actually think there might be hope for a chicken- wuss like you after all. Now, Necron I propose we have ourselves a little tournament."  
  
Necron descended from his throne to answer Vincent's plea.  
  
"I believe that can be arranged, and the winner will be sent to the Living world."  
  
So it was, Necron's bidding, that there would be a tournament held in the center of the Zero World. The Zero World Tournament would determine the one worthy to go back to the Living world. Necron's grand coliseum descended from its place in the sky in order to create the perfect battle arena. The colossus stone architecture was large enough for many to fit in, and Necron could judge the battles from his throne. After many training sessions and thoughts, the matches were decided.  
  
Match One: Cid vs. Tifa  
Match Two: Cloud vs. Vincent  
Match Three: Barret vs. Necron  
  
Match One:  
  
Crisp straw-blonde hair reflected the sunshine that now settled upon the arena. Ice blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight as Cid peered at his challenger. Weak, he could easily dispose of Tifa. Smiling, he gripped the Venus Gospel with a desire that none could see. He desperately wanted to go back, to be alive. Even after experiencing the once unfathomable death, even knowing he'd face death once again, he wanted to go back.  
Cid walked out into his place, the sunrays that decided to stay in the arena warmed the navy blue Air Force jacket he wore. Feeling a sense of renewal, he picked the Venus Gospel high above his head and held it there for all to see. He must have been pleased at his rejuvenated weapon, no battle scars, not yet. The brilliant mahogany shaft of the Gospel was cut along the grain correctly, very precise.  
He gazed into the spear tip, directly at the Venus Flame as the sunlight created a flame inside it. The same flame burned inside him, but not a flame of craftsmanship, a fire no water could vanquish, his pride. He lowered the weapon to his side as his opponent took their place upon the battlefield.  
The battle started off slowly, Cid was preparing a strategy and one of Tifa's Tekketsu's talons began to glow a faint green. Tifa started the fight, running at Cid without hesitation. She was following Cid's plan perfectly. He waited until she was in close range when he jabbed at her with the Gospel. She dodged but not far enough, a part of the blade pierced the top of her left shoulder.  
Cid quickly switched his grip on the Gospel and tried to stab Tifa with the spear, but she rolled and the spear sank into the clouds. This was Cid's only mistake the entire battle, Tifa got close to Cid and stabbed him with the green talons directly in his side. The wound was small, he hardly noticed it. But on the inside, the poison was spreading throughout his bloodstream.  
Cid would never give up, the blood that drained from his wound was a blackish color, because of the poison, but he paid to heed to it. Tifa continued to avoid his every attempt on her life, hoping that the poison was doing its job. Eventually Cid tired out from all his attacks. That is when he glanced down at his hand. The veins were becoming a faint purple, so was his arteries. He gazed into the blade of the Gospel, only to notice that the veins in his face were also purple.  
He began to grow cold; he placed a hand on his left side. Carefully lifting his hand to his eyes he noticed a black liquid. Cid realized that it was poisoned blood, but it was too late. His eyes faded to a light grey as he fell onto the clouds, staining them a crimson black. The Venus Gospel fell to the clouds as well, with a loud clank.  
  
"It is over," announced Necron as he revived Cid, "Tifa is the victor. Cid you are disqualified. But as a bonus for all who enter the tournament, if you lose, I will not absorb your energy."  
  
Tifa walked over to where Cid stilled laid faced down upon the clouds.  
  
"Sorry about that."  
"What are you talking about? I was the one who ignored my wound. If I would have checked it I would have forfeited, knowing I would lose anyway."  
"You did a good job after all; you managed to cut my shoulder."  
"Sorry about that Tifa, I was actually aiming for your heart."  
"Don't worry yourself about it; it was a battle to the death. You just wanted to win. I understand, come on, we get to watch Cloud and Vincent next."  
"What? Heh, that wimpy ass Cloud versus Vincent, that will be another short match, I feel sorry for him. Vincent will clean Cloud's damn block."  
  
Match Two: Cloud vs. Vincent  
Match Three: Barret vs. Necron  
Match Four: Tifa vs.  
  
Match Two:  
  
After the first match, a dark rain cloud extended upon the vast sky of the Zero World. It had just begun to rain; yet, the second match was to commence. Vincent was silently crouching upon the top of a pillar in the coliseum. The rain didn't bother him one bit, he was too busy studying his opponent. Vincent watched as Cloud walked out into the arena from the south corridor of the coliseum.  
Cloud stepped out into the rain that now drowned the battle arena. The droplets of rain clinked upon his armor and soaked his shirt. His boots splashed mud like clouds everywhere. It's strange how the clouds were hard as stone and seem to take on several different personalities. He walked out to his rightful spot in the arena and looked about for Vincent. Slung over his right shoulder was the Ultima Weapon, glowing a faint blue because of the rain.  
Once Cloud's blue-emerald eyes caught the glimpse of Vincent on top of the pillar, he was gone. He couldn't see where Vincent had gone, he had the advantage of strength, but Vincent had the speed. Cloud quickly grasped the handle of the Ultima Weapon and drew it forth. Stepping back into an offensive stance Cloud was prepared to fight Vincent.  
Noticing that Cloud had seen him, a flash of lightning provided Vincent the perfect opportunity to move and he jumped to the pillar on the opposite side. Cloud withdrew his sword and Vincent slowly took out Death Penalty, loaded it, and aimed at his back. Another flash of lightning blinded Vincent from his shot, so he decided to just fight. But he would fight with his mind not his strength, Cloud was the stronger one, and Vincent knew that.  
A second flash of lightning allowed Vincent to jump back to his side of the arena. He fell from the sky as the thunder boomed, providing cover over his cloak's swishing noise. Vincent landed in a crouched position, his back turned to Cloud. He stood up and Cloud noticed the glare in his blood red eyes. Drops of water trickled from his hair and splashed against the clouds.  
  
".It's over." Vincent muttered to himself.  
  
Vincent closed his eyes and a white aura formed around him. Not even the rain managed to penetrate the aura barrier. Cloud ran to Vincent and swung the sword at him. The sword's blade hit the barrier and stuck. Cloud just stood there thinking of what to do now. Vincent then opened his eyes very quick, and a white light engulfed his eyes. Immediately in unison with the opening of his eyes a gust of wind formed.  
Both Vincent and Cloud were uplifted several inches above the clouds. Vincent's white aura glowed blue and his cloak was propelled upward with another gust of wind.  
  
"..Lets see you defeat me now.." stated Vincent with a maniacal smile.  
  
In a flash Vincent disappeared and Cloud fell to the ground. Quickly, as to give no opportunities to Vincent, he stood back up. Cloud heard the gunshot from Vincent's Death Penalty and turned in the direction of the shot. Cloud; being an excellent swordsman and thanks to the width of the Ultima Weapon, he blocked the bullet. He stared at Vincent through the clear sword and watched as he continued to fire at the sword.  
  
"You'll never hit me like this Vincent!" yelled Cloud.  
".We'll see." thought Vincent.  
  
Vincent stopped shooting at Cloud randomly, and carefully aimed the Death Penalty at one spot on the Ultima Weapon. He fired two shots simultaneously and then hit the sword. The first bullet yet again bounced off the sword, but thanks to the second bullet, penetrated the sword slightly. A crack formed in the sword where the bullet had entered. Without pause, Vincent fired two more simultaneous shots. The bullets hit dead on target and the sword began to crack even more.  
Cloud knew he couldn't move the sword or else he'd get hit with a bullet from the Death Penalty. Finally Vincent shot the two remaining bullets in the Death Penalty, simultaneously as before. The first bullet shattered the Ultima Weapon's blade, greatly catching Cloud off guard. He held before him, only the handle and hilt of the once magnificent weapon. The last bullet struck Cloud directly in his wind pipe.  
The light that engulfed Vincent's eyes was now gone, and the sullen crimson eyes were in their place. The aura barrier was gone and Vincent was now walking toward Cloud. As Cloud lay on the clouds gasping for breath as his crimson red blood spewed forth from his wound, Vincent walked right up to Cloud's head and shot him.  
  
".I'll never hit you." stated Vincent with a tint of irony in his voice.  
"Congratulations, you're the victor of the second match Vincent." Necron congratulated, as he fixed the sword and brought Cloud back to life.  
  
Match Three: Barret vs. Necron  
Match Four: Tifa vs. Vincent  
Match Five:  
  
Match Three:  
  
"How am I supposed to beat you?" questioned Barret.  
".You're not." replied Necron as Barret's body was engulfed in blue flames.  
"You supposed to lose."  
  
Match Four: Tifa vs. Vincent  
Match Five: vs. Necron  
  
Match Four:  
  
Tifa and Vincent both took their places on the battle arena's cloudy floor. Once Necron announced the official beginning to the battle Tifa charged Vincent. Vincent just stood up at full posture and closed his eyes once more. As she grew closer to Vincent, he did not even bother to open his eyes. She charged at him with several tiger claws, back fists, and thunder kicks. Vincent dodged them all, still keeping his eyes shut.  
A couple of times she nearly hit Vincent head on in the face and ribs, but he felt the rush of wind from her hands and dodged in the nick of time. Eventually Vincent grew tired of this game and jumped up into mid- air and finally opened his eyes. His eyes were piercing blue as ever and a white aura had already formed around his new body. He once again assumed the form of Guardian, Tifa knew she was in trouble, but was not expecting what was soon to come.  
Vincent floated there in the sky of the Zero World for a few minutes before he call out for all to hear him.  
  
"Behold! Sephiroth is no longer the only one with a golden form!"  
  
His Guardian form began to glow faint silver and then the white aura around him disappeared. His eyes closed once more as he let out a deafening roar. His hair rushed upward and began to glow with the color of the sun, his wings shattered and two massive golden wings took their place. His cloak began to grow a golden color as the rest of his body was now surrounded with a gold aura. He finally opened his eyes when he assumed the Golden Guardian form. His eyes were bright gold with a tint of emerald.  
Vincent immediately dropped from the sky and landed once more in a crouched position, perfectly unharmed. Tifa, knowing that this was in the bad thing category, charged Vincent one more time anyways. She threw a chambered punch to Vincent's center torso. Her fist never quite reached the destination point of contact. The golden aura surrounding Vincent incinerated her hand. Then it began to spread like a poison through her body until the heat radiated from the aura disintegrated her.  
Her ashes fell before Vincent as Necron announced him the winner. Necron reluctantly revived Tifa, once more missing a chance for more energy.  
  
Match Five: Vincent vs. Necron  
  
Match Five:  
  
"Vincent, I congratulate you. I never thought you'd make it this far. You may go to the living world, on my treat. This ends the Zero World Tournament." 


End file.
